Birthdays
by Killua Rucilful
Summary: Friendship ficKurapika-centric. "His eyes shone red, but this time with sadness. Sooner or later, he would eventually have to accept that he had no one to celebrate his birthdays any longer."


Birthdays  
  
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"One flower, two flowers, three flowers, four..."  
  
A small boy giggled as his older sister placed the candles into the cake, chanting under her breath as one of the family did every year. This year the candles were blue-colored but shaped into flowers, although young Kurapika seemed to care little. The issue of masculinity meant almost nothing to him. After all, he was only ---  
  
"...four flowers, five flowers, six! Happy Birthday, Kurapika," the young girl said with a bright smile and kissed him on the forehead. Kurapika grinned back and his eyes shone red with joy.  
  
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday, Kurapika!"  
  
....................................................  
  
"One light, two lights, three lights, four..."  
  
Kurapika wished he had candles, but wax sticks were, unfortunately, not included with what few possessions he had. He did have a small lighter, a cheap little thing he had picked up on the road, and that was enough. The young man sat cross-legged on the slightly soft ground beneath a tree, one that would serve as his shelter for the night, a small pile of twigs next to him.  
  
"...four lights, five lights, six lights, seven..." he continued to count under his breath, lighting each piece of stick before sticking them upright on the ground. He didn't even have a birthday cake. Not that it mattered much. He didn't have anyone to share it with anyway.  
  
And it was better not to eat than face the truth he didn't have anyone to eat with.  
  
"...seven lights, eight lights, nine lights, ten..." The first two sticks burned to the ground, most of the rest following it soon after. Kurapika didn't notice.  
  
"...ten lights, eleven lights, twelve! Happy Birthday, Kurapika!" he exclaimed happily into the night, blowing out which sticks had lights that were still alive --- the ninth up to the thirteenth.  
  
"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy..."  
  
....................................................  
  
"One candle, two candles, three candles, four..."  
  
Kurapika now had candles. He even had a tiny cake and a small, cheap but decent enough hotel room to stay in for tonight. Kurapika had bought a chocolate roll-cake from the bakery next door earlier when he remembered the date. He had always liked chocolate. And he was glad he didn't forget to buy a packet of candles too.  
  
However simple they appeared to be.  
  
"...four candles, five candles, six candles, seven..." Nothing else was heard in the small room with the fading wallpaper except his chanting. All but one of the lamps were turned off, and it was the only source of light along with the small candles set in a perfectly straight vertical line on the cake.  
  
"...seven candles, eight candles, nine candles, ten..." His eyes shone red, but this time with sadness. Sooner or later, he would eventually have to accept that he had no one to celebrate his birthdays any longer.  
  
"...ten candles, eleven candles, twelve candles, thirteen! Happy Birthday, Kurapika..." A whisper to oneself.  
  
"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday...to me..."  
  
....................................................  
  
"One sword, two swords, three swords, four..."  
  
He liked these candles. Some would consider it bad luck to have sword-shaped candles on your birthday cake but Kurapika knew there were very few things worse compared to what he had already endured. And he liked these candles.   
  
"...four swords, five swords, six swords, seven..." His cake this time was large, almost as large as the ones his mother and sister used to bake. The room he was in was well-furnished, neat-as-a-pin and carpeted. He had the comforter pulled back and was sitting on the bed, the cake in front of him on a small table  
  
"...seven swords, eight swords, nine swords, ten..." His pale slender hands moved methodically, 'stabbing' the cake with the 'swords' in a circular pattern.  
  
"...ten swords, eleven swords, twelve swords, thirteen..." The hunter exams ended a month or so ago, but to him it felt like only days yet at the same time like countless years. He had made friends, for the first time after many years since the death of his clan, but too soon for him they had to part.  
  
"...thirteen swords, fourteen swords, fifteen swords, sixteen!" The circle came to a close. He had friends now, but he didn't have anyone to celebrate with still. They all had their different lives, had different things to attend to, and he was too unselfish to hold them back for something as petty as his birthday.  
  
"Happy! Birthday! Kurapika!" He blew out all the candles and shouted each word. It was as if each of those swords had been pushed deep into his chest instead as he placed them on the cake. A small gasp of pain and a sigh escaped him before he grabbed the cake --- plate, candles and all --- and threw it to the ground. He layed down and turned to his stomach, burying his tear-streaked face into the soft pillows.  
  
He didn't want to eat alone anymore.  
  
"Happy...Birthday...to...me...Happy...Birthday...to..."  
  
....................................................  
  
This year he hadn't bothered with either cake or candles. He layed down on his bed and sang softly to himself.   
  
"Happy Birthday to me..."  
  
It wasn't as painful as last year or the one before that. Senritsu, Basho, all his co-workers and even Neon had given him gifts but he knew it wasn't that. It was just that...he had somehow grown accustomed to being alone and having no one.  
  
"Happy Birthday to me..."  
  
And there wasn't any cake to remind him he had to eat alone. And there weren't any candles he needed to stick into it while chanting to himself.  
  
"Happy Birthday..."  
  
But he still sang this blasted song to himself. Why did he have to sing anyway..?  
  
"Happy Birthday..."  
  
A loud knock on the door. And then another. They wouldn't even let him finish his song. Kurapika groaned and rolled off the bed, checking his eyes for any tears before slipping on his contact lenses and walking towards the door. Another loud, rude knock. He jerked it open and instantly found a large chocolate cake under his nose.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Kurapika!" an apple green-clad young man greeted him as a taller one in a three-piece suit rushed into his room with the cake. Gon and Leorio. He then found his hands occupied with something wrapped in shiny silver and blue, with a metallic red bow. Killua smiled at him before following the two into the room.   
  
Kurapika blinked, staring at the door of the hotel room across his.   
  
"Happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy..."  
  
He closed the door, turned around and joined his friends.  
  
....................................................  
  
End  
  
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Disclaimers: I don't own Kurapika and HxH. Sure wished I did though...  
  
A/N: My first HxH fic! Well, second actually, but my first was reported for abuse. O.o I'll put that one up in the site I'm making. Meanwhile, I hope you liked this fic! Thanks a lot to my beta, Casper. Sorry I couldn't place the revisions you told me. :( Writer's block. 


End file.
